Systems and Methods for Monitoring Chemical Processes

ABSTRACT

Disclosed are systems and methods for monitoring chemical reaction processes in or near real-time. One method may include containing a fluid within a flow path, the fluid having a chemical reaction occurring therein, optically interacting at least one integrated computational element with the fluid, thereby generating optically interacted light, and producing an output signal based on the optically interacted light that corresponds to a characteristic of the chemical reaction.

BACKGROUND

The present invention relates to optical analysis systems and methodsfor analyzing fluids and, in particular, to systems and methods formonitoring chemical reaction processes in or near real-time.

In the oil and gas industry, it is often important to precisely know thecharacteristics and chemical composition of fluids as they circulateinto and out of subterranean formations, vessels, and pipelines.Typically, oil and gas fluid analyses have been conducted off-line usinglaboratory analyses, such as spectroscopic and/or wet chemical methods,which analyze an extracted sample of the fluid. Depending on theanalysis required, however, such an approach can take hours to days tocomplete, and even in the best case scenario, a job will often becompleted prior to the analysis being obtained. Furthermore, off-linelaboratory analyses can sometimes be difficult to perform, requireextensive sample preparation and present hazards to personnel performingthe analyses. Bacterial analyses, for example, can particularly take along time to complete since culturing of a bacterial sample is usuallyneeded to obtain satisfactory results.

Although off-line, retrospective analyses can be satisfactory in certaincases, but they do not provide real-time or near real-time analysiscapabilities. As a result, proactive control of a subterranean operationor fluid flow within related vessels or pipelines cannot take place, atleast without significant process disruption occurring while awaitingthe results of the analysis. Off-line, retrospective analyses can alsobe unsatisfactory for determining true characteristics of a fluid sincethe characteristics of the extracted sample of the fluid oftentimeschange during the lag time between collection and analysis, therebymaking the properties of the sample non-indicative of the true chemicalcomposition or characteristic. For example, factors that can alter thecharacteristics of a fluid during the lag time between collection andanalysis can include, scaling, reaction of various components in thefluid with one another, reaction of various components in the fluid withcomponents of the surrounding environment, simple chemical degradation,and bacterial growth.

Monitoring fluids in or near real-time can be of considerable interestin order to monitor chemical reaction processes, thereby serving as aquality control measure for processes in which fluids are used.Specifically, there are many chemical processes which require physicaland chemical parameters to be altered based on the concentration ofreactants in the process or products produced by the process. Forexample, temperatures, pressures, flow rates, pH and other physicalparameters of the process must frequently be monitored and changed tooptimize the progress of the chemical process.

Spectroscopic techniques for measuring chemical reaction processes arewell known and are routinely used under laboratory conditions. In somecases, these spectroscopic techniques can be carried out without usingan involved sample preparation. It is more common, however, to carry outvarious sample preparation procedures before conducting the analysis.Reasons for conducting sample preparation procedures can include, forexample, removing interfering background materials from the analyte ofinterest, converting the analyte of interest into a chemical form thatcan be better detected by a chosen spectroscopic technique, and addingstandards to improve the accuracy of quantitative measurements. Thus,there is usually a delay in obtaining an analysis due to samplepreparation time, even discounting the transit time of transporting theextracted sample to a laboratory.

Although spectroscopic techniques can, at least in principle, beconducted at a job site, such as a well site, or in a process, theforegoing concerns regarding sample preparation times may still apply.Furthermore, the transitioning of spectroscopic instruments from alaboratory into a field or process environment can be expensive andcomplex. Reasons for these issues can include, for example, the need toovercome inconsistent temperature, humidity, and vibration encounteredduring field use. Furthermore, sample preparation, when required, can bedifficult under field analysis conditions. The difficulty of performingsample preparation in the field can be especially problematic in thepresence of interfering materials, which can further complicateconventional spectroscopic analyses. Quantitative spectroscopicmeasurements can be particularly challenging in both field andlaboratory settings due to the need for precision and accuracy in samplepreparation and spectral interpretation.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to optical analysis systems and methodsfor analyzing fluids and, in particular, to systems and methods formonitoring chemical reaction processes in or near real-time.

In some aspects of the disclosure, a system is disclosed that mayinclude a flow path containing a fluid in which a chemical reaction isoccurring, at least one integrated computational element configured tooptically interact with the fluid and thereby generate opticallyinteracted light, and at least one detector arranged to receive theoptically interacted light and generate an output signal correspondingto a characteristic of the chemical reaction.

In other aspects of the disclosure, a method of monitoring a fluid isdisclosed. The method may include containing the fluid within a flowpath, the fluid having a chemical reaction occurring therein, opticallyinteracting at least one integrated computational element with thefluid, thereby generating optically interacted light, and producing anoutput signal based on the optically interacted light that correspondsto a characteristic of the chemical reaction.

The features and advantages of the present invention will be readilyapparent to those skilled in the art upon a reading of the descriptionof the preferred embodiments that follows.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The following figures are included to illustrate certain aspects of thepresent invention, and should not be viewed as exclusive embodiments.The subject matter disclosed is capable of considerable modifications,alterations, combinations, and equivalents in form and function, as willoccur to those skilled in the art and having the benefit of thisdisclosure.

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary integrated computation element,according to one or more embodiments.

FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram non-mechanistically illustrating howan optical computing device distinguishes electromagnetic radiationrelated to a characteristic of interest from other electromagneticradiation, according to one or more embodiments.

FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary system for monitoring a fluid, accordingto one or more embodiments.

FIG. 4 illustrates another exemplary system for monitoring a fluid,according to one or more embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention relates to optical analysis systems and methodsfor analyzing fluids and, in particular, to systems and methods formonitoring chemical reaction processes in or near real-time.

The exemplary systems and methods described herein employ variousconfigurations of optical computing devices, also commonly referred toas “opticoanalytical devices,” for the real-time or near real-timemonitoring of chemical reaction processes. In operation, the exemplarysystems and methods may be useful and otherwise advantageous indetermining when a chemical reaction has proceeded to completion. Inother embodiments, the systems and methods may provide a real-time ornear real-time determination of the concentration of unreacted reagentsand/or resultant products, thereby allowing chemical reaction kineticsto be determined. The optical computing devices, which are described inmore detail below, can advantageously provide real-time or nearreal-time monitoring of a chemical reaction that cannot presently beachieved with either onsite analyses at a job site or via more detailedanalyses that take place in a laboratory. A significant and distinctadvantage of these devices is that they can be configured tospecifically detect and/or measure a particular component orcharacteristic of interest of a fluid or other material, therebyallowing qualitative and/or quantitative analyses of the fluid to occurwithout having to extract a sample and undertake time-consuming analysesat an off-site laboratory. With the ability to undertake real-time ornear real-time analyses, the exemplary systems and methods describedherein may be able to provide some measure of proactive or responsivecontrol over the chemical reaction, enable the collection and archivalof fluid information in conjunction with operational information tooptimize subsequent operations, and/or enhance the capacity for remotejob execution.

Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the systems andmethods disclosed herein may be suitable for use in the oil and gasindustry since the described optical computing devices provide acost-effective, rugged, and accurate means for monitoring chemicalreactions related to hydrocarbon quality in order to facilitate theefficient management of oil/gas production. It will be furtherappreciated, however, that the various disclosed systems and methods areequally applicable to other technology or industry fields including, butnot limited to, the chemicals industry, the food and beverageindustries, the drug industry, the energy industry (e.g., manufactureand development of biofuels), industrial applications, miningindustries, defense and military technologies, or any field where it maybe advantageous to determine in real-time or near real-time the reactionkinetics of a chemical process.

The optical computing devices suitable for use in the presentembodiments can be deployed at any number of various points within aflow path to monitor a chemical reaction occurring within a fluid ormaterial. Depending on the location of the particular optical computingdevice, various types of information about the fluid or material can beobtained. In some cases, for example, the optical computing devices canbe used to monitor a chemical reaction in real-time as a result ofadding a treatment reagent to a fluid, removing a treatment reagenttherefrom, or exposing the fluid or substance to a condition thatpotentially changes a characteristic of the fluid or substance in someway. In other cases, the optical computing devices can be used todetermine the concentration of unreacted reagents of a chemicalcomposition and any resulting products derived therefrom. This may proveadvantageous in determining when the reaction has progressed tocompletion. Thus, the systems and methods described herein may beconfigured to monitor a fluid and, more particularly, to monitorchemical reaction processes related thereto.

As used herein, the term “fluid” refers to any substance that is capableof flowing, including particulate solids, liquids, gases, slurries,emulsions, powders, muds, glasses, combinations thereof, and the like.In some embodiments, the fluid can be an aqueous fluid, including wateror the like. In some embodiments, the fluid can be a non-aqueous fluid,including organic compounds, more specifically, hydrocarbons, oil, arefined component of oil, petrochemical products, and the like. In someembodiments, the fluid can be a treatment fluid or a formation fluid asfound in the oil and gas industry. Fluids can include various flowablemixtures of solids, liquids and/or gases. Illustrative gases that can beconsidered fluids according to the present embodiments include, forexample, air, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, argon, helium, methane, ethane,butane, and other hydrocarbon gases, combinations thereof and/or thelike.

As used herein, the term “characteristic” refers to a chemical,mechanical, or physical property of a substance, such as the fluiddefined above or a reagent as defined below. The characteristic mayfurther refer to a chemical, mechanical, or physical property of aproduct resulting from a chemical reaction transpiring within the fluid.A characteristic of a substance may include a quantitative value of oneor more chemical components therein. Such chemical components may bereferred to herein as “analytes.” Illustrative characteristics of asubstance that can be monitored with the optical computing devicesdisclosed herein can include, for example, chemical composition (e.g.,identity and concentration in total or of individual components),impurity content, pH, temperature, viscosity, density, ionic strength,total dissolved solids, salt content, porosity, opacity, bacteriacontent, combinations thereof, and the like. Moreover, the phrase“characteristic of interest of/in a fluid” may be used herein to referto the characteristic of a chemical reaction transpiring or otherwiseoccurring therein.

As used herein, the term “flow path” refers to a route through which afluid is capable of being transported between two or more points. Insome cases, the flow path need not be continuous or otherwise contiguousbetween the two or more points. Exemplary flow paths include, but arenot limited to, a flowline, a pipeline, a hose, a process facility, astorage vessel, a tanker, a railway tank car, a transport barge or ship,a separator, a contactor, a process vessel, combinations thereof, or thelike. In cases where the flow path is a pipeline, or the like, thepipeline may be a pre-commissioned pipeline or an operational pipeline.It should be noted that the term “flow path” does not necessarily implythat a fluid is flowing therein, rather that a fluid is capable of beingtransported or otherwise flowable therethrough.

As used herein, the term “chemical reaction process” or “chemicalreaction” refers to a process that leads to the transformation of oneset of chemical substances to another. As known to those skilled in theart, chemical reactions involve one or more reagents, as describedbelow, that chemically react either spontaneously, requiring no input ofenergy, or non-spontaneously typically following the input of some typeof energy, such as heat, light, electricity, or through the addition ofa catalyst. The chemical reaction process yields one or more products,which may or may not have properties different from the reagents. Someexemplary products that may be monitored or otherwise detected, asdisclosed herein, include tetrakis hydroxymethyl phosphonium oxide(THPO), quaternary pyridinium compounds and the like, sulfites,sulfates, derivatives thereof, or the like.

As used herein, the term “reagent,” or variations thereof, refers to atleast a portion of a substance or material of interest to be evaluatedusing the optical computing devices described herein during a chemicalreaction process. A reagent may be a reaction material that istransformed into a product during a particular chemical reaction. Insome embodiments, the reagent is the characteristic of interest, asdefined above, and may include any integral component of the fluidflowing within the flow path. For example, the reagent may includecompounds containing elements including, but not limited to, barium,calcium, manganese, sulfur, iron, strontium, chlorine, and any otherchemical substance that can lead to precipitation within a flow path.The reagent may also refer to paraffins, waxes, asphaltenes, aromatics,saturates, foams, salts, particulates, sand or other solid particles,combinations thereof, and the like.

In other aspects, the reagent may include any substance added to theflow path in order to cause a chemical reaction configured to treat theflow path or the fluid contained therein. Exemplary treatment reagentsmay include, but are not limited to, acids, acid-generating compounds,bases, base-generating compounds, biocides, surfactants, scaleinhibitors, corrosion inhibitors, gelling agents, crosslinking agents,anti-sludging agents, foaming agents, defoaming agents, antifoam agents,emulsifying agents, de-emulsifying agents, iron control agents,proppants or other particulates, gravel, particulate diverters, salts,fluid loss control additives, gases, catalysts, clay control agents,chelating agents, corrosion inhibitors, dispersants, flocculants,scavengers (e.g., H₂S scavengers, CO₂ scavengers or O₂ scavengers),lubricants, breakers, delayed release breakers, friction reducers,bridging agents, viscosifiers, weighting agents, solubilizers, rheologycontrol agents, viscosity modifiers, pH control agents (e.g., buffers),hydrate inhibitors, relative permeability modifiers, diverting agents,consolidating agents, fibrous materials, bactericides, tracers, probes,nanoparticles, tetrakis hydroxymethyl phosphonium sulfate (THPS),glutaraldehyde, benzalkonium chloride, algal/fungal/bacterial deposits,imidazoline derivatives, quaternary ammonium salts, alkaline zinccarbonate, amines, and the like. Combinations of these reagents can beused as well.

As used herein, the term “electromagnetic radiation” refers to radiowaves, microwave radiation, infrared and near-infrared radiation,visible light, ultraviolet light, X-ray radiation and gamma rayradiation.

As used herein, the term “optical computing device” refers to an opticaldevice that is configured to receive an input of electromagneticradiation from a fluid, or a reagent within the fluid, and produce anoutput of electromagnetic radiation from a processing element arrangedwithin the optical computing device. The processing element may be, forexample, an integrated computational element (ICE) used in the opticalcomputing device. As discussed in greater detail below, theelectromagnetic radiation that optically interacts with the processingelement is changed so as to be readable by a detector, such that anoutput of the detector can be correlated to at least one characteristicof the fluid, such as a characteristic of a chemical process of interesttranspiring in the fluid. The output of electromagnetic radiation fromthe processing element can be reflected electromagnetic radiation,transmitted electromagnetic radiation, and/or dispersed electromagneticradiation. Whether reflected, transmitted, or dispersed electromagneticradiation is eventually analyzed by the detector may be dictated by thestructural parameters of the optical computing device as well as otherconsiderations known to those skilled in the art. In addition, emissionand/or scattering of the substance, for example via fluorescence,luminescence, Raman scattering, and/or Raleigh scattering, can also bemonitored by the optical computing devices.

As used herein, the term “optically interact” or variations thereofrefers to the reflection, transmission, scattering, diffraction, orabsorption of electromagnetic radiation either on, through, or from oneor more processing elements (i.e., integrated computational elements).Accordingly, optically interacted light refers to electromagneticradiation that has been reflected, transmitted, scattered, diffracted,or absorbed by, emitted, or re-radiated, for example, using theintegrated computational elements, but may also apply to interactionwith a fluid or a reagent within the fluid.

The exemplary systems and methods described herein will include at leastone optical computing device arranged along or in a flow path in orderto monitor a fluid flowing or otherwise contained within the flow path.The at least one optical computing device may also be configured tomonitor one or more reagents flowing or otherwise contained within theflow path, and any resulting products derived from chemical processestranspiring in the flow path. Each optical computing device may includean electromagnetic radiation source, at least one processing element(e.g., integrated computational element), and at least one detectorarranged to receive optically interacted light from the at least oneprocessing element. As disclosed below, however, in at least oneembodiment, the electromagnetic radiation source may be omitted andinstead the electromagnetic radiation may be derived from the fluid, thereagent, or the product itself. In some embodiments, the exemplaryoptical computing devices may be specifically configured for detecting,analyzing, and quantitatively measuring a particular characteristic oranalyte of interest of the fluid, reagent, or product in the flow path.In at least one embodiment, the characteristic may be related to achemical process of interest and the optical computing devices may beconfigured to numerically follow the reaction progress in near orreal-time, thereby allowing reaction kinetics to be determined. In otherembodiments, the optical computing devices may be general purposeoptical devices, with post-acquisition processing (e.g., throughcomputer means) being used to specifically detect the characteristic ofthe fluid or reagent.

In some embodiments, suitable structural components for the exemplaryoptical computing devices are described in commonly owned U.S. Pat. Nos.6,198,531; 6,529,276; 7,123,844; 7,834,999; 7,911,605, 7,920,258, and8,049,881, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in itsentirety, and U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 12/094,460; 12/094,465;and 13/456,467, each of which is also incorporated herein by referencein its entirety. As will be appreciated, variations of the structuralcomponents of the optical computing devices described in theabove-referenced patents and patent applications may be suitable,without departing from the scope of the disclosure, and therefore,should not be considered limiting to the various embodiments or usesdisclosed herein.

The optical computing devices described in the foregoing patents andpatent applications combine the advantage of the power, precision andaccuracy associated with laboratory spectrometers, while being extremelyrugged and suitable for field use. Furthermore, the optical computingdevices can perform calculations (analyses) in real-time or nearreal-time without the need for time-consuming sample processing. In thisregard, the optical computing devices can be specifically configured todetect and analyze particular characteristics and/or analytes ofinterest of a fluid, including any reagents and/or productscorresponding to a chemical reaction process that transpires therein. Asa result, interfering signals are discriminated from those of interestin the fluid by appropriate configuration of the optical computingdevices, such that the optical computing devices provide a rapidresponse regarding the characteristics of the fluid, reagent, and/orresulting product as based on the detected output. In some embodiments,the detected output can be converted into a voltage that is distinctiveof the magnitude of the characteristic of interest being measured. Theforegoing advantages and others make the optical computing devicesparticularly well suited for field and downhole use, but may equally beapplied to several other technologies or industries, without departingfrom the scope of the disclosure.

The optical computing devices can be configured to detect not only thecomposition and concentrations of a reagent, or a product resulting froma chemical process involving the reagent, in a fluid, but they also canbe configured to determine physical properties and other characteristicsof the reagent and/or product as well, based on their analysis of theelectromagnetic radiation received from the particular reagent/product.For example, the optical computing devices can be configured todetermine the concentration of an analyte and correlate the determinedconcentration to a characteristic of a reagent or product by usingsuitable processing means. As will be appreciated, the optical computingdevices may be configured to detect as many characteristic or analytesof the fluid, reagents, and/or products as desired. All that is requiredto accomplish the monitoring of multiple characteristics is theincorporation of suitable processing and detection means within theoptical computing device for each analyte of interest, whetherpertaining to the fluid, the reagent, and/or the product. In someembodiments, the properties of the fluid, reagent, and/or product can bea combination of the properties of the analytes therein (e.g., a linear,non-linear, logarithmic, and/or exponential combination). Accordingly,the more characteristics and analytes that are detected and analyzedusing the optical computing devices, the more accurately the propertiesof the given fluid, reagent, and/or product will be determined.

The optical computing devices described herein utilize electromagneticradiation to perform calculations, as opposed to the hard wired circuitsof conventional electronic processors. When electromagnetic radiationinteracts with a fluid, or a reagent or product present within thefluid, unique physical and chemical information about the substance maybe encoded in the electromagnetic radiation that is reflected from,transmitted through, or radiated therefrom. This information is oftenreferred to as the spectral “fingerprint” of the substance. The opticalcomputing devices described herein are capable of extracting theinformation of the spectral fingerprint of multiple characteristics oranalytes within a fluid, reagent, and/or product, and converting thatinformation into a detectable output regarding the overall properties ofthe monitored substance. That is, through suitable configurations of theoptical computing devices, electromagnetic radiation associated withcharacteristics or analytes of interest in a fluid, reagent, and/orproduct can be separated from electromagnetic radiation associated withall other components of the fluid in order to estimate the properties ofthe monitored substance in real-time or near real-time.

The processing elements used in the exemplary optical computing devicesdescribed herein may be characterized as integrated computationalelements (ICE). Each ICE is capable of distinguishing electromagneticradiation related to the characteristic of interest from electromagneticradiation related to other components of a fluid. Referring to FIG. 1,illustrated is an exemplary ICE 100 suitable for use in the opticalcomputing devices used in the systems and methods described herein. Asillustrated, the ICE 100 may include a plurality of alternating layers102 and 104, such as silicon (Si) and SiO₂ (quartz), respectively. Ingeneral, these layers 102, 104 consist of materials whose index ofrefraction is high and low, respectively. Other examples might includeniobia and niobium, germanium and germania, MgF, SiO, and other high andlow index materials known in the art. The layers 102, 104 may bestrategically deposited on an optical substrate 106. In someembodiments, the optical substrate 106 is BK-7 optical glass. In otherembodiments, the optical substrate 106 may be another type of opticalsubstrate, such as quartz, sapphire, silicon, germanium, zinc selenide,zinc sulfide, or various plastics such as polycarbonate,polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), polyvinylchloride (PVC), diamond,ceramics, combinations thereof, and the like.

At the opposite end (e.g., opposite the optical substrate 106 in FIG.1), the ICE 100 may include a layer 108 that is generally exposed to theenvironment of the device or installation. The number of layers 102, 104and the thickness of each layer 102, 104 are determined from thespectral attributes acquired from a spectroscopic analysis of acharacteristic of interest (e.g., a characteristic of a fluid, areagent, or a product resulting from a chemical reaction) using aconventional spectroscopic instrument. The spectrum of interest of agiven characteristic of interest typically includes any number ofdifferent wavelengths. It should be understood that the exemplary ICE100 in FIG. 1 does not in fact represent any particular characteristicof interest of a given fluid, reagent, and/or product, but is providedfor purposes of illustration only. Consequently, the number of layers102, 104 and their relative thicknesses, as shown in FIG. 1, bear nocorrelation to any particular characteristic of interest. Nor are thelayers 102, 104 and their relative thicknesses necessarily drawn toscale, and therefore should not be considered limiting of the presentdisclosure. Moreover, those skilled in the art will readily recognizethat the materials that make up each layer 102, 104 (i.e., Si and SiO₂)may vary, depending on the application, cost of materials, and/orapplicability of the materials to the monitored substance.

In some embodiments, the material of each layer 102, 104 can be doped ortwo or more materials can be combined in a manner to achieve the desiredoptical characteristic. In addition to solids, the exemplary ICE 100 mayalso contain liquids and/or gases, optionally in combination withsolids, in order to produce a desired optical characteristic. In thecase of gases and liquids, the ICE 100 can contain a correspondingvessel (not shown), which houses the gases or liquids. Exemplaryvariations of the ICE 100 may also include holographic optical elements,gratings, piezoelectric, light pipe, digital light pipe (DLP), and/oracousto-optic elements, for example, that can create transmission,reflection, and/or absorptive properties of interest.

The multiple layers 102, 104 exhibit different refractive indices. Byproperly selecting the materials of the layers 102, 104 and theirrelative thickness and spacing, the ICE 100 may be configured toselectively pass/reflect/refract predetermined fractions ofelectromagnetic radiation at different wavelengths. Each wavelength isgiven a predetermined weighting or loading factor. The thickness andspacing of the layers 102, 104 may be determined using a variety ofapproximation methods from the spectrograph of the characteristic oranalyte of interest. These methods may include inverse Fourier transform(IFT) of the optical transmission spectrum and structuring the ICE 100as the physical representation of the IFT. The approximations convertthe IFT into a structure based on known materials with constantrefractive indices. Further information regarding the structures anddesign of exemplary integrated computational elements (also referred toas multivariate optical elements) is provided in Applied Optics, Vol.35, pp. 5484-5492 (1996) and Vol. 129, pp. 2876-2893, which is herebyincorporated by reference.

The weightings that the layers 102, 104 of the ICE 100 apply at eachwavelength are set to the regression weightings described with respectto a known equation, or data, or spectral signature. Briefly, the ICE100 may be configured to perform the dot product of the input light beaminto the ICE 100 and a desired loaded regression vector represented byeach layer 102, 104 for each wavelength. As a result, the output lightintensity of the ICE 100 is related to the characteristic or analyte ofinterest. Further details regarding how the exemplary ICE 100 is able todistinguish and process electromagnetic radiation related to thecharacteristic or analyte of interest are described in U.S. Pat. Nos.6,198,531; 6,529,276; and 7,920,258, previously incorporated herein byreference.

Referring now to FIG. 2, illustrated is a block diagram thatnon-mechanistically illustrates how an optical computing device 200 isable to distinguish electromagnetic radiation related to acharacteristic of interest from other electromagnetic radiation. Asshown in FIG. 2, after being illuminated with incident electromagneticradiation, a fluid 202 containing a reagent (e.g., a characteristic ofinterest) produces an output of electromagnetic radiation (e.g.,sample-interacted light), some of which is electromagnetic radiation 204corresponding to the characteristic of interest and some of which isbackground electromagnetic radiation 310 corresponding to othercomponents or characteristics of the fluid 202. In some embodiments, thefluid 202 may include one or more reagents and the characteristic ofinterest may correspond to the one or more reagents. In otherembodiments, the fluid may include one or more products resulting from achemical reaction occurring in the fluid and the characteristic ofinterest may correspond to the products.

Although not specifically shown, one or more spectral elements may beemployed in the device 200 in order to restrict the optical wavelengthsand/or bandwidths of the system and thereby eliminate unwantedelectromagnetic radiation existing in wavelength regions that have noimportance. Such spectral elements can be located anywhere along theoptical train, but are typically employed directly after a light source,which provides the initial electromagnetic radiation. Variousconfigurations and applications of spectral elements in opticalcomputing devices may be found in commonly owned U.S. Pat. Nos.6,198,531; 6,529,276; 7,123,844; 7,834,999; 7,911,605, 7,920,258,8,049,881, and U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 12/094,460 (U.S. Pat.App. Pub. No. 2009/0219538); 12/094,465 (U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No.2009/0219539); and 13/456,467, incorporated herein by reference, asindicated above.

The beams of electromagnetic radiation 204, 206 impinge upon the opticalcomputing device 200, which contains an exemplary ICE 208 therein. Inthe illustrated embodiment, the ICE 208 may be configured to produceoptically interacted light, for example, transmitted opticallyinteracted light 210 and reflected optically interacted light 214. Inoperation, the ICE 208 may be configured to distinguish theelectromagnetic radiation 204 from the background electromagneticradiation 206.

The transmitted optically interacted light 210, which may be related toa characteristic of interest in the fluid 202, may be conveyed to adetector 212 for analysis and quantification. In some embodiments, thedetector 212 is configured to produce an output signal in the form of avoltage that corresponds to the particular characteristic of interest ofthe fluid 202. In at least one embodiment, the signal produced by thedetector 212 and the concentration of the characteristic of interest maybe directly proportional. In other embodiments, the relationship may bea polynomial function, an exponential function, and/or a logarithmicfunction. The reflected optically interacted light 214, which may berelated to characteristics of other components of the fluid 202, can bedirected away from detector 212. In alternative configurations, the ICE208 may be configured such that the reflected optically interacted light214 can be related to the characteristic of interest, and thetransmitted optically interacted light 210 can be related to othercomponents or characteristics of the fluid 202.

In some embodiments, a second detector 216 can be present and arrangedto detect the reflected optically interacted light 214. In otherembodiments, the second detector 216 may be arranged to detect theelectromagnetic radiation 204, 206 derived from the fluid 202 orelectromagnetic radiation directed toward or before the fluid 202.Without limitation, the second detector 216 may be used to detectradiating deviations stemming from an electromagnetic radiation source(not shown), which provides the electromagnetic radiation (i.e., light)to the device 200. For example, radiating deviations can include suchthings as, but not limited to, intensity fluctuations in theelectromagnetic radiation, interferent fluctuations (e.g., dust or otherinterferents passing in front of the electromagnetic radiation source),coatings on windows included with the optical computing device 200,combinations thereof, or the like. In some embodiments, a beam splitter(not shown) can be employed to split the electromagnetic radiation 204,206, and the transmitted or reflected electromagnetic radiation can thenbe directed to one or more ICE 208. That is, in such embodiments, theICE 208 does not function as a type of beam splitter, as depicted inFIG. 2, and the transmitted or reflected electromagnetic radiationsimply passes through the ICE 208, being computationally processedtherein, before travelling to the detector 212.

The characteristic(s) of interest being analyzed using the opticalcomputing device 200 can be further processed computationally to provideadditional characterization information about the fluid 202, or anyreagents/products present therein. In some embodiments, theidentification and concentration of each analyte of interest in thefluid 202 can be used to predict certain physical characteristics of thefluid 202. For example, the bulk characteristics of the fluid 202 can beestimated by using a combination of the properties conferred to thefluid 202 by each analyte.

In some embodiments, the concentration or magnitude of thecharacteristic of interest determined using the optical computing device200 can be fed into an algorithm operating under computer control. Thealgorithm may be configured to make predictions on how thecharacteristics of the fluid 202 would change if the concentrations ofthe characteristic of interest are changed relative to one another. Insome embodiments, the algorithm can produce an output that is readableby an operator who can manually take appropriate action, if needed,based upon the reported output. In other embodiments, however, thealgorithm can take proactive process control by, for example,automatically adjusting the flow of a treatment reagent being introducedinto a flow path or by halting the introduction of the treatment reagentin response to an out of range condition.

The algorithm can be part of an artificial neural network configured touse the concentration of each characteristic of interest in order toevaluate the overall characteristic(s) of the fluid 202 and predict howto modify the fluid 202 in order to alter its properties in a desiredway. Illustrative but non-limiting artificial neural networks aredescribed in commonly owned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/986,763(U.S. Patent App. Pub. No. 2009/0182693), which is incorporated hereinby reference. It is to be recognized that an artificial neural networkcan be trained using samples of predetermined characteristics ofinterest, such as known reagents and products resulting from chemicalprocesses involving such reagents, having known concentrations,compositions, and/or properties, and thereby generating a virtuallibrary. As the virtual library available to the artificial neuralnetwork becomes larger, the neural network can become more capable ofaccurately predicting the characteristic of interest corresponding to afluid, reagent, or product having any number of analytes presenttherein. Furthermore, with sufficient training, the artificial neuralnetwork can more accurately predict the characteristics of the fluid,even in the presence of unknown reagents and/or products.

It is recognized that the various embodiments herein directed tocomputer control and artificial neural networks, including variousblocks, modules, elements, components, methods, and algorithms, can beimplemented using computer hardware, software, combinations thereof, andthe like. To illustrate this interchangeability of hardware andsoftware, various illustrative blocks, modules, elements, components,methods and algorithms have been described generally in terms of theirfunctionality. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware orsoftware will depend upon the particular application and any imposeddesign constraints. For at least this reason, it is to be recognizedthat one of ordinary skill in the art can implement the describedfunctionality in a variety of ways for a particular application.Further, various components and blocks can be arranged in a differentorder or partitioned differently, for example, without departing fromthe scope of the embodiments expressly described.

Computer hardware used to implement the various illustrative blocks,modules, elements, components, methods, and algorithms described hereincan include a processor configured to execute one or more sequences ofinstructions, programming stances, or code stored on a non-transitory,computer-readable medium. The processor can be, for example, a generalpurpose microprocessor, a microcontroller, a digital signal processor,an application specific integrated circuit, a field programmable gatearray, a programmable logic device, a controller, a state machine, agated logic, discrete hardware components, an artificial neural network,or any like suitable entity that can perform calculations or othermanipulations of data. In some embodiments, computer hardware canfurther include elements such as, for example, a memory (e.g., randomaccess memory (RAM), flash memory, read only memory (ROM), programmableread only memory (PROM), erasable read only memory (EPROM)), registers,hard disks, removable disks, CD-ROMS, DVDs, or any other like suitablestorage device or medium.

Executable sequences described herein can be implemented with one ormore sequences of code contained in a memory. In some embodiments, suchcode can be read into the memory from another machine-readable medium.Execution of the sequences of instructions contained in the memory cancause a processor to perform the process steps described herein. One ormore processors in a multi-processing arrangement can also be employedto execute instruction sequences in the memory. In addition, hard-wiredcircuitry can be used in place of or in combination with softwareinstructions to implement various embodiments described herein. Thus,the present embodiments are not limited to any specific combination ofhardware and/or software.

As used herein, a machine-readable medium will refer to any medium thatdirectly or indirectly provides instructions to a processor forexecution. A machine-readable medium can take on many forms including,for example, non-volatile media, volatile media, and transmission media.Non-volatile media can include, for example, optical and magnetic disks.Volatile media can include, for example, dynamic memory. Transmissionmedia can include, for example, coaxial cables, wire, fiber optics, andwires that form a bus. Common forms of machine-readable media caninclude, for example, floppy disks, flexible disks, hard disks, magnetictapes, other like magnetic media, CD-ROMs, DVDs, other like opticalmedia, punch cards, paper tapes and like physical media with patternedholes, RAM, ROM, PROM, EPROM and flash EPROM.

In some embodiments, the data collected using the optical computingdevices can be archived along with data associated with operationalparameters being logged at a job site. Evaluation of job performance canthen be assessed and improved for future operations or such informationcan be used to design subsequent operations. In addition, the data andinformation can be communicated (wired or wirelessly) to a remotelocation by a communication system (e.g., satellite communication orwide area network communication) for further analysis. The communicationsystem can also allow remote monitoring and operation of a chemicalreaction process to take place. Automated control with a long-rangecommunication system can further facilitate the performance of remotejob operations. In particular, an artificial neural network can be usedin some embodiments to facilitate the performance of remote joboperations. That is, remote job operations can be conductedautomatically in some embodiments. In other embodiments, however, remotejob operations can occur under direct operator control, where theoperator is not at the job site (e.g., via wireless technology).

Referring now to FIG. 3, illustrated is an exemplary system 300 formonitoring a fluid 302, such as a chemical reaction process that mayoccur within the fluid 302, according to one or more embodiments. In theillustrated embodiment, the fluid 302 may be contained or otherwiseflowing within an exemplary flow path 304. In at least one embodiment,the flow path 304 may be a flow line or a pipeline and the fluid 302present therein may be flowing in the general direction indicated by thearrows A (i.e., from upstream to downstream). As will be appreciated,however, in other embodiments the flow path 304 may be any other type offlow path, as generally described or otherwise defined herein. Forexample, the flow path 304 may be a storage or reaction vessel and thefluid 302 may not necessarily be flowing while being monitored.

In at least one embodiment, however, the flow path 304 may form part ofan oil/gas pipeline and may be part of a wellhead or a plurality ofsubsea and/or above-ground interconnecting flow lines or pipes thatinterconnect various subterranean hydrocarbon reservoirs with one ormore receiving/gathering platforms or process facilities. In someembodiments, portions of the flow path 304 may be employed downhole andfluidly connect, for example, a formation and a wellhead. As such,portions of the flow path 304 may be arranged substantially vertical,substantially horizontal, or any directional configuration therebetween,without departing from the scope of the disclosure.

The system 300 may include at least one optical computing device 306,which may be similar in some respects to the optical computing device200 of FIG. 2, and therefore may be best understood with referencethereto. While not shown, the optical computing device 306 may be housedwithin a casing or housing configured to substantially protect theinternal components of the device 306 from damage or contamination fromthe external environment (e.g., the flow path 304). The housing mayoperate to mechanically couple the device 306 to the flow path 304 with,for example, mechanical fasteners, brazing or welding techniques,adhesives, magnets, combinations thereof or the like. In operation, thehousing may be designed to withstand the pressures that may beexperienced within or without the flow path 304 and thereby provide afluid tight seal against external contamination. As described in greaterdetail below, the optical computing device 306 may be useful indetermining a particular characteristic of the fluid 302 within the flowpath 304, such as determining a concentration of a reagent presentwithin the fluid 302, or a product resulting from a chemical processreaction occurring within the fluid 302. Knowing the concentration ofreagents and/or products may help determine the overall quality of thefluid 302 and provide an opportunity to remedy potentially undesirableparameters of the fluid 302.

The device 306 may include an electromagnetic radiation source 308configured to emit or otherwise generate electromagnetic radiation 310.The electromagnetic radiation source 308 may be any device capable ofemitting or generating electromagnetic radiation, as defined herein. Forexample, the electromagnetic radiation source 308 may be a light bulb, alight emitting device (LED), a laser, a blackbody, a photonic crystal,an X-Ray source, combinations thereof, or the like. In some embodiments,a lens 312 may be configured to collect or otherwise receive theelectromagnetic radiation 310 and direct a beam 314 of electromagneticradiation 310 toward the fluid 302. The lens 312 may be any type ofoptical device configured to transmit or otherwise convey theelectromagnetic radiation 310 as desired. For example, the lens 312 maybe a normal lens, a Fresnel lens, a diffractive optical element, aholographic graphical element, a mirror (e.g., a focusing mirror), atype of collimator, or any other electromagnetic radiation transmittingdevice known to those skilled in art. In other embodiments, the lens 312may be omitted from the device 306 and the electromagnetic radiation 310may instead be conveyed toward the fluid 302 directly from theelectromagnetic radiation source 308.

In one or more embodiments, the device 306 may also include a samplingwindow 316 arranged adjacent to or otherwise in contact with the fluid302 for detection purposes. The sampling window 316 may be made from avariety of transparent, rigid or semi-rigid materials that areconfigured to allow transmission of the electromagnetic radiation 310therethrough. For example, the sampling window 316 may be made of, butis not limited to, glasses, plastics, semi-conductors, crystallinematerials, polycrystalline materials, hot or cold-pressed powders,combinations thereof, or the like. In order to remove ghosting or otherimaging issues resulting from reflectance on the sampling window 316,the system 300 may employ one or more internal reflectance elements(IRE), such as those described in co-owned U.S. Pat. No. 7,697,141,and/or one or more imaging systems, such as those described in co-ownedU.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/456,467, the contents of each herebybeing incorporated by reference.

After passing through the sampling window 316, the electromagneticradiation 310 impinges upon and optically interacts with the fluid 302,including any reagents and/or chemical reaction products present withinthe fluid 302. As a result, optically interacted radiation 318 isgenerated by and reflected from the fluid 302. Those skilled in the art,however, will readily recognize that alternative variations of thedevice 306 may allow the optically interacted radiation 318 to begenerated by being transmitted, scattered, diffracted, absorbed,emitted, or re-radiated by and/or from the fluid 302, or one or morereagents/products present within the fluid 302, without departing fromthe scope of the disclosure.

The optically interacted radiation 318 generated by the interaction withthe fluid 302 may be directed to or otherwise received by an ICE 320arranged within the device 306. The ICE 320 may be a spectral componentsubstantially similar to the ICE 100 described above with reference toFIG. 1. Accordingly, in operation the ICE 320 may be configured toreceive the optically interacted radiation 318 and produce modifiedelectromagnetic radiation 322 corresponding to a particularcharacteristic of interest of the fluid 302. In particular, the modifiedelectromagnetic radiation 322 is electromagnetic radiation that hasoptically interacted with the ICE 320, whereby an approximate mimickingof the regression vector corresponding to the characteristic of interestis obtained. In some embodiments, the characteristic of interestcorresponds to the fluid 302. In other embodiments, the characteristicof interest corresponds to a particular reagent found in the fluid 302.In yet other embodiments, the characteristic of interest corresponds toa product resulting from a chemical reaction transpiring in the flowpath 304.

It should be noted that, while FIG. 3 depicts the ICE 320 as receivingreflected electromagnetic radiation from the fluid 302, the ICE 320 maybe arranged at any point along the optical train of the device 306,without departing from the scope of the disclosure. For example, in oneor more embodiments, the ICE 320 (as shown in dashed) may be arrangedwithin the optical train prior to the sampling window 316 and equallyobtain substantially the same results. In other embodiments, thesampling window 316 may serve a dual purpose as both a transmissionwindow and the ICE 320 (i.e., a spectral component). In yet otherembodiments, the ICE 320 may generate the modified electromagneticradiation 322 through reflection, instead of transmission therethrough.

Moreover, while only one ICE 320 is shown in the device 306, embodimentsare contemplated herein which include the use of at least two ICEcomponents in the device 306 configured to cooperatively determine thecharacteristic of interest in the fluid 302. For example, two or moreICE may be arranged in series or parallel within the device 306 andconfigured to receive the optically interacted radiation 318 and therebyenhance sensitivities and detector limits of the device 306. In otherembodiments, two or more ICE may be arranged on a movable assembly, suchas a rotating disc or an oscillating linear array, which moves such thatthe individual ICE components are able to be exposed to or otherwiseoptically interact with electromagnetic radiation for a distinct briefperiod of time. The two or more ICE components in any of theseembodiments may be configured to be either associated or disassociatedwith the characteristic of interest in the fluid 302. In otherembodiments, the two or more ICE may be configured to be positively ornegatively correlated with the characteristic of interest. Theseoptional embodiments employing two or more ICE components are furtherdescribed in co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 13/456,264,13/456,405, 13/456,302, and 13/456,327, the contents of which are herebyincorporated by reference in their entireties.

In some embodiments, it may be desirable to monitor more than onecharacteristic of interest at a time using the device 306. In suchembodiments, various configurations for multiple ICE components can beused, where each ICE component is configured to detect a particularand/or distinct characteristic of interest corresponding, for example,to the fluid 302, a reagent, or a product resulting from a chemicalreaction in the fluid 302. In some embodiments, the characteristic ofinterest can be analyzed sequentially using multiple ICE components thatare provided a single beam of electromagnetic radiation being reflectedfrom or transmitted through the fluid 302. In some embodiments, asbriefly mentioned above, multiple ICE components can be arranged on arotating disc, where the individual ICE components are only exposed tothe beam of electromagnetic radiation for a short time. Advantages ofthis approach can include the ability to analyze multiplecharacteristics of interest within the fluid 302 using a single opticalcomputing device and the opportunity to assay additional characteristicssimply by adding additional ICE components to the rotating disccorresponding to those additional characteristics.

In other embodiments, multiple optical computing devices can be placedat a single location along the flow path 304, where each opticalcomputing device contains a unique ICE that is configured to detect aparticular characteristic of interest. In such embodiments, a beamsplitter can divert a portion of the electromagnetic radiation beingreflected by, emitted from, or transmitted through the fluid 302 andinto each optical computing device. Each optical computing device, inturn, can be coupled to a corresponding detector or detector array thatis configured to detect and analyze an output of electromagneticradiation from the respective optical computing device. Parallelconfigurations of optical computing devices can be particularlybeneficial for applications that require low power inputs and/or nomoving parts.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that any of the foregoingconfigurations can further be used in combination with a seriesconfiguration in any of the present embodiments. For example, twooptical computing devices having a rotating disc with a plurality of ICEcomponents arranged thereon can be placed in series for performing ananalysis at a single location along the length of the flow path 304.Likewise, multiple detection stations, each containing optical computingdevices in parallel, can be placed in series for performing a similaranalysis.

The modified electromagnetic radiation 322 generated by the ICE 320 maysubsequently be conveyed to a detector 324 for quantification of thesignal. The detector 324 may be any device capable of detectingelectromagnetic radiation, and may be generally characterized as anoptical transducer. In some embodiments, the detector 324 may be, but isnot limited to, a thermal detector such as a thermopile or photoacousticdetector, a semiconductor detector, a piezo-electric detector, a chargecoupled device (CCD) detector, a video or array detector, a splitdetector, a photon detector (such as a photomultiplier tube),photodiodes, combinations thereof, or the like, or other detectors knownto those skilled in the art.

In some embodiments, the detector 324 may be configured to produce anoutput signal 326 in real-time or near real-time in the form of avoltage (or current) that corresponds to the particular characteristicof interest in the fluid 302. The voltage returned by the detector 324is essentially the dot product of the optical interaction of theoptically interacted radiation 318 with the respective ICE 320 as afunction of the concentration of the characteristic of interest. Assuch, the output signal 326 produced by the detector 324 and theconcentration of the characteristic of interest may be related, forexample, directly proportional. In other embodiments, however, therelationship may correspond to a polynomial function, an exponentialfunction, a logarithmic function, and/or a combination thereof.

In some embodiments, the device 306 may include a second detector 328,which may be similar to the first detector 324 in that it may be anydevice capable of detecting electromagnetic radiation. Similar to thesecond detector 216 of FIG. 2, the second detector 328 of FIG. 3 may beused to detect radiating deviations stemming from the electromagneticradiation source 308. Undesirable radiating deviations can occur in theintensity of the electromagnetic radiation 310 due to a wide variety ofreasons and potentially causing various negative effects on the outputof the device 306. These negative effects can be particularlydetrimental for measurements taken over a period of time. In someembodiments, radiating deviations can occur as a result of a build-up offilm or material on the sampling window 316 which has the effect ofreducing the amount and quality of light ultimately reaching the firstdetector 324. Without proper compensation, such radiating deviationscould result in false readings and the output signal 326 would no longerbe primarily or accurately related to the characteristic of interest.

To compensate for these types of undesirable effects, the seconddetector 328 may be configured to generate a compensating signal 330generally indicative of the radiating deviations of the electromagneticradiation source 308, and thereby normalize the output signal 326generated by the first detector 324. As illustrated, the second detector328 may be configured to receive a portion of the optically interactedradiation 318 via a beamsplitter 332 in order to detect the radiatingdeviations. In other embodiments, however, the second detector 328 maybe arranged to receive electromagnetic radiation from any portion of theoptical train in the device 306 in order to detect the radiatingdeviations, without departing from the scope of the disclosure.

In some applications, the output signal 326 and the compensating signal330 may be conveyed to or otherwise received by a signal processor 334communicably coupled to both the detectors 320, 328. The signalprocessor 334 may be a computer including a non-transitorymachine-readable medium, and may be configured to computationallycombine the compensating signal 330 with the output signal 326 in orderto normalize the output signal 326 in view of any radiating deviationsdetected by the second detector 328. In some embodiments,computationally combining the output and compensating signals 320, 328may entail computing a ratio of the two signals 320, 328. For example,the concentration or magnitude of each characteristic of interestdetermined using the optical computing device 306 can be fed into analgorithm run by the signal processor 334. The algorithm may beconfigured to make predictions on how the characteristics of the fluid302 change if the concentration of the measured characteristic ofinterest changes.

In real-time or near real-time, the signal processor 334 may beconfigured to provide a resulting output signal 336 corresponding to thecharacteristic of interest, such as a concentration of a reagent orresulting product present in the fluid 302. In some embodiments, asbriefly discussed above, the resulting output signal 336 may be readableby an operator who can consider the results and make proper adjustmentsto the flow path 304 or take appropriate action, if needed, based uponthe magnitude of the measured characteristic of interest. In someembodiments, the resulting signal output 328 may be conveyed, eitherwired or wirelessly, to the user for consideration.

In some embodiments, the resulting output signal 336 may be recognizedby the signal processor 334 as being within or without a predeterminedor preprogrammed range of suitable operation. For example, the signalprocessor 334 may be programmed with an impurity profile thatcorresponds to one or more known reagents that may be introduced intothe flow path 304. The impurity profile may also correspond to one ormore known products that result from a chemical reaction transpiringwithin the flow path 304. As such, the impurity profile may be ameasurement of a concentration or percentage of one or morereagents/products within the flow path 304. In some embodiments, theimpurity may be measured in the parts per million range, but in otherembodiments, the impurity profile may be measured in the parts perbillion or parts per thousand range and even in the percent range. Ifthe resulting output signal 336 exceeds or otherwise falls within apredetermined or preprogrammed range of operation for the impurityprofile, the signal processor 334 may be configured to alert the user(wired or wirelessly) of the same such that appropriate correctiveaction may be initiated, if needed. In some embodiments, however, thesignal processor 334 may be configured to autonomously undertake theappropriate corrective action.

In one or more embodiments, the resulting output signal 336 may beindicative of a concentration of a reagent flowing with the fluid 302and configured to react with, for example, another reagent or othersubstance found therein. In some embodiments, the reagent may be addedto the flow path 304 to, for example, dissolve wax or asphaltenebuild-up, reduce a microbiological growth, etc. In other embodiments,the reagent may be a corrosion or scale inhibitor. In operation, theoptical computing device 306 may be configured to determine and reportthe concentration of the reagent in near or real-time, therebyascertaining whether the reagent is working properly. For example, theoptical computing device 306 may be configured to determine when thereagent becomes fully saturated or reacted at some point, therebyindicating that the full potential of the reagent has been exhausted. Inother embodiments, the optical computing device 306 may be configured todetermine the concentration of unreacted reagents, thereby indicatingthe efficacy of an operation. This may prove advantageous in being ableto more accurately determine the optimal amounts of treatment reagentsto provide for a specific operation.

In other embodiments, the resulting output signal 336 may correspond toa product, or the concentration thereof, that results from a chemicalreaction process between two or more reagents within the flow path 304.Exemplary products that may result from specific chemical reactionsoccurring within the flow path 304 include, but are not limited to, anyorganic, inorganic or enzymatic reaction products. In some embodiments,the characteristic of interest corresponding to the product may beindicative of, but not limited to, pH, viscosity, density or specificgravity, temperature, and ionic strength of a chemical compound. In yetother embodiments, the specific reagent(s) or product(s) detected orotherwise monitored by the optical computing device 306 may provide anindication as to the nature of a problem occurring within the flow path304. For example, if a blockage or narrowing of the flow path 304 hasoccurred, monitoring the specific reagent(s) or product(s) may indicatewhether such a blockage or narrowing was caused by asphaltenes, waxes,etc.

In some embodiments, the resulting output signal 336 may correspond to anear or real-time measurement of a chemical reaction process transpiringin the flow path 304, thereby allowing for the determination of reactionkinetics. For example, the optical computing device 306 may beconfigured to monitor the concentration of a reagent or product as afunction of time. The main factors that may influence this reaction rateinclude the physical state of the reagents, the concentrations of thereagents, the temperature at which the reaction occurs, and whether ornot any catalysts are present in the reaction. Methods of numericallydetermining reaction kinetics in real-time from experimentally derivedspectrophotometric absorption data are well known to the skilledpractitioner and are described within the article “Chemical Kinetics inReal Time: Using the Differential Rate Law and Discovering the ReactionOrders,” The Journal of Chemical Education, Vol. 73 No. 7, July 1996,the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in theirentirety.

Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate the various andnumerous applications that the system 300, and alternativeconfigurations thereof, may be suitably used with. For example, thesystem 300 may be employed to determine biocide efficacy and watertreatment capabilities. In other applications, the system 300 may beused in conjunction with pollution control devices, such as scrubbers,or may be employed to monitor curing and degrees of cure of a substancesuch as, for example, cements in the oil and gas industry. In yet otherembodiments, the system 300 may be used to monitor aging of a material,or other environmentally induced reaction(s)/process(es). For instance,the system 300 may be configured to monitor degradation on one or morepolymers, such as those found on hoses, o-rings, etc. The system 300 mayalso be configured to monitor degradation of biologic materials such as,but not limited to, masonry materials (e.g., stone, brick, cement,etc.), glass, metals (i.e., corrosion), fluids, combinations thereof,and/or the like. As will be appreciated, such degradation may resultfrom at least UV-light, sunlight, and temperature in addition to thevarious chemical aging substances and agents (e.g., acids, etc.).Accordingly, the system 300 may be useful in monitoring the generalcondition of flexible risers, hoses, rig foundations, rust on pipes,inner and outer coatings, and the like.

Referring now to FIG. 4, illustrated is another exemplary system 400 formonitoring a fluid 302, such as a chemical reaction process that mayoccur within the fluid 302, according to one or more embodiments. Thesystem 400 may be similar in some respects to the system 300 of FIG. 3,and therefore may be best understood with reference thereto where likenumerals indicate like elements that will not be described again. Asillustrated, the optical computing device 306 may again be configured todetermine a characteristic of interest of the fluid 302 as containedwithin the flow path 304. Unlike the system 300 of FIG. 3, however, theoptical computing device 306 in FIG. 4 may be configured to transmit theelectromagnetic radiation through the fluid 302 via a first samplingwindow 402 a and a second sampling window 402 b arrangedradially-opposite the first sampling window 402 a. The first and secondsampling windows 402 a,b may be similar to the sampling window 316described above in FIG. 3.

As the electromagnetic radiation 310 passes through the fluid 302 viathe first and second sampling windows 402 a,b, it optically interactswith the fluid 302, and potentially with at least one reagent and/orproduct present therein. Optically interacted radiation 318 issubsequently directed to or otherwise received by the ICE 320 asarranged within the device 306. It is again noted that, while FIG. 4depicts the ICE 320 as receiving the optically interacted radiation 318as transmitted through the sampling windows 402 a,b, the ICE 320 mayequally be arranged at any point along the optical train of the device306, without departing from the scope of the disclosure. For example, inone or more embodiments, the ICE 320 may be arranged within the opticaltrain prior to the first sampling window 402 a and equally obtainsubstantially the same results. In other embodiments, one or each of thefirst or second sampling windows 402 a,b may serve a dual purpose asboth a transmission window and the ICE 320 (i.e., a spectral component).In yet other embodiments, the ICE 320 may generate the modifiedelectromagnetic radiation 322 through reflection, instead oftransmission therethrough. Moreover, as with the system 300 of FIG. 3,embodiments are contemplated herein which include the use of at leasttwo ICE components in the device 306 configured to cooperativelydetermine the characteristic of interest in the fluid 302.

The modified electromagnetic radiation 322 generated by the ICE 320 issubsequently conveyed to the detector 324 for quantification of thesignal and generation of the output signal 326 which corresponds to theparticular characteristic of interest in the fluid 302. As with thesystem 300 of FIG. 3, the system 400 may also include the seconddetector 328 for detecting radiating deviations stemming from theelectromagnetic radiation source 308. As illustrated, the seconddetector 328 may be configured to receive a portion of the opticallyinteracted radiation 318 via the beamsplitter 332 in order to detect theradiating deviations. In other embodiments, however, the second detector328 may be arranged to receive electromagnetic radiation from anyportion of the optical train in the device 306 in order to detect theradiating deviations, without departing from the scope of thedisclosure. The output signal 326 and the compensating signal 330 maythen be conveyed to or otherwise received by the signal processor 334which may computationally combine the two signals 330, 326 and providein real-time or near real-time the resulting output signal 336corresponding to the concentration of the characteristic of interest inthe fluid 302.

Still referring to FIG. 4, with additional reference to FIG. 3, thoseskilled in the art will readily recognize that, in one or moreembodiments, electromagnetic radiation may be derived from the fluid 302itself, and otherwise derived independent of the electromagneticradiation source 308. For example, various substances naturally radiateelectromagnetic radiation that is able to optically interact with theICE 320. In some embodiments, for example, the fluid 302, or the reagentor product present within the fluid 302, may be a blackbody radiatingsubstance configured to radiate heat that may optically interact withthe ICE 320. In other embodiments, the fluid 302, or the reagent orproduct within the fluid 302, may be radioactive or chemo-luminescentand, therefore, radiate electromagnetic radiation that is able tooptically interact with the ICE 320. In yet other embodiments, theelectromagnetic radiation may be induced from the fluid 302, or thereagent or product within the fluid 302, by being acted uponmechanically, magnetically, electrically, combinations thereof, or thelike. For instance, in at least one embodiment, a voltage may be placedacross the fluid 302, or the reagent or product within the fluid 302, inorder to induce the electromagnetic radiation. As a result, embodimentsare contemplated herein where the electromagnetic radiation source 308is omitted from the optical computing device 306.

It should also be noted that the various drawings provided herein arenot necessarily drawn to scale nor are they, strictly speaking, depictedas optically correct as understood by those skilled in optics. Instead,the drawings are merely illustrative in nature and used generally hereinin order to supplement understanding of the systems and methods providedherein. Indeed, while the drawings may not be optically accurate, theconceptual interpretations depicted therein accurately reflect theexemplary nature of the various embodiments disclosed.

Therefore, the present invention is well adapted to attain the ends andadvantages mentioned as well as those that are inherent therein. Theparticular embodiments disclosed above are illustrative only, as thepresent invention may be modified and practiced in different butequivalent manners apparent to those skilled in the art having thebenefit of the teachings herein. Furthermore, no limitations areintended to the details of construction or design herein shown, otherthan as described in the claims below. It is therefore evident that theparticular illustrative embodiments disclosed above may be altered,combined, or modified and all such variations are considered within thescope and spirit of the present invention. The invention illustrativelydisclosed herein suitably may be practiced in the absence of any elementthat is not specifically disclosed herein and/or any optional elementdisclosed herein. While compositions and methods are described in termsof “comprising,” “containing,” or “including” various components orsteps, the compositions and methods can also “consist essentially of” or“consist of” the various components and steps. All numbers and rangesdisclosed above may vary by some amount. Whenever a numerical range witha lower limit and an upper limit is disclosed, any number and anyincluded range falling within the range is specifically disclosed. Inparticular, every range of values (of the form, “from about a to aboutb,” or, equivalently, “from approximately a to b,” or, equivalently,“from approximately a-b”) disclosed herein is to be understood to setforth every number and range encompassed within the broader range ofvalues. Also, the terms in the claims have their plain, ordinary meaningunless otherwise explicitly and clearly defined by the patentee.Moreover, the indefinite articles “a” or “an,” as used in the claims,are defined herein to mean one or more than one of the element that itintroduces. If there is any conflict in the usages of a word or term inthis specification and one or more patent or other documents that may beincorporated herein by reference, the definitions that are consistentwith this specification should be adopted.

1. A system, comprising: a flow path provided within a wellbore andcontaining a fluid in which a chemical reaction is presently occurring,wherein the fluid comprises at least one of a reagent and a productassociated with the chemical reaction; at least one integratedcomputational element arranged in an optical train to optically interactwith the fluid in the flow path and thereby generate opticallyinteracted light, the at least one integrated computational elementcomprising a plurality of thin film layers deposited on an opticalsubstrate; at least one detector arranged in the optical train followingthe at least one integrated computational element to receive theoptically interacted light and generate an output signal correspondingto a characteristic of the chemical reaction occurring within the fluid;and a signal processor communicably coupled to the at least one detectorfor receiving the output signal, the signal processor being programmedto determine the characteristic of the chemical reaction based on theoutput signal.
 2. The system of claim 1, further comprising anelectromagnetic radiation source arranged in the optical train, theelectromagnetic radiation source emitting electromagnetic radiation thatoptically interacts with at least one of the at least one integratedcomputational element and the fluid.
 3. The system of claim 1, whereinthe characteristic of the chemical reaction is a concentration of thereagent in the fluid and the signal processor is further programmed todetermine the concentration of the reagent in the fluid.
 4. The systemof claim 3, wherein the reagent in the fluid comprises at least onesubstance selected from the group consisting of barium, calcium,manganese, sulfur, iron, strontium, chlorine, paraffins, waxes,asphaltenes, aromatics, saturates, foams, salts, particulates, sand, andany combinations thereof.
 5. The system of claim 3, wherein the reagentin the fluid comprises at least one substance selected from the groupconsisting of acids, acid-generating compounds, bases, base-generatingcompounds, biocides, surfactants, scale inhibitors, corrosioninhibitors, gelling agents, crosslinking agents, anti-sludging agents,foaming agents, defoaming agents, antifoam agents, emulsifying agents,de-emulsifying agents, iron control agents, particulate diverters,salts, fluid loss control additives, gases, catalysts, clay controlagents, chelating agents, corrosion inhibitors, dispersants,flocculants, scavengers, lubricants, breakers, delayed release breakers,friction reducers, bridging agents, viscosifiers, weighting agents,solubilizers, rheology control agents, viscosity modifiers, pH controlagents, hydrate inhibitors, relative permeability modifiers, divertingagents, consolidating agents, fibrous materials, bactericides, tracers,probes, nanoparticles, tetrakis hydroxymethyl phosphonium sulfate(THPS), glutaraldehyde, benzalkonium chloride, algal/fungal/bacterialdeposits, imidazoline derivatives, quaternary ammonium salts, alkalinezinc carbonate, amines, and any combinations thereof.
 6. The system ofclaim 1, wherein the characteristic of the chemical reaction is aconcentration of the product resulting from the chemical reaction andthe signal processor is further programmed to determine theconcentration of the product resulting from the chemical reaction. 7.The system of claim 1, wherein the signal processor is furtherprogrammed to determine the characteristic of the chemical reaction whenthe characteristic of the chemical reaction comprises at least onesubstance selected from the group consisting of a chemical composition,an impurity content, a pH level, a temperature, a viscosity, a density,an ionic strength, a total dissolved solids measurement, a salt contentmeasurement, a porosity, an opacity measurement, a bacteria content, andany combinations thereof.
 8. (canceled)
 9. The system of claim 1,further comprising an electromagnetic radiation source arranged in theoptical train and emitting electromagnetic radiation, wherein the atleast one detector is a first detector and the system further comprisesa second detector arranged to detect the electromagnetic radiation andthereby generate a compensating signal indicative of electromagneticradiating deviations.
 10. The system of claim 9, wherein the signalprocessor is communicably coupled to the first and second detectors, thesignal processor being programmed to receive and computationally combinethe output and compensating signals in order to normalize the outputsignal.
 11. The system of claim 1, wherein the flow path comprises atleast one structure selected from the group consisting of a flowline, astorage vessel, a separator, a contactor, a process vessel, and anycombinations thereof.
 12. A method of monitoring a fluid, comprising:containing the fluid within a flow path, the fluid having a chemicalreaction occurring therein; optically interacting at least oneintegrated computational element with the fluid, thereby generatingoptically interacted light; and producing an output signal based on theoptically interacted light that corresponds to a characteristic of thechemical reaction.
 13. The method of claim 12, further comprisingoptically interacting electromagnetic radiation emitted from anelectromagnetic radiation source with the fluid.
 14. The method of claim13, further comprising reflecting the electromagnetic radiation off ofthe fluid or transmitting the electromagnetic radiation through thefluid.
 15. The method of claim 12, wherein producing the output signalfurther comprises: receiving with at least one detector the opticallyinteracted light; and generating with the at least one detector anoutput signal corresponding to a characteristic of the chemicalreaction.
 16. The method of claim 15, further comprising: receiving theoutput signal with a signal processor communicably coupled to the atleast one detector; and determining the characteristic of the chemicalreaction with the signal processor.
 17. The method of claim 15, whereinthe at least one detector is a first detector, the method furthercomprising: receiving and detecting with a second detector at least aportion of the electromagnetic radiation; generating with the seconddetector a compensating signal indicative of radiating deviations of theelectromagnetic radiation source; and computationally combining theoutput signal and the compensating signal with a signal processorcommunicably coupled to the first and second detectors, whereby thecharacteristic of the chemical reaction is determined.
 18. The method ofclaim 12, wherein the characteristic of the chemical reaction comprisesa concentration of one or more reagents in the fluid.
 19. The method ofclaim 18, wherein the one or more reagents in the fluid comprises atleast one selected from the group consisting of barium, calcium,manganese, sulfur, iron, strontium, chlorine, paraffins, waxes,asphaltenes, aromatics, saturates, foams, salts, particulates, sand, andany combinations thereof.
 20. The method of claim 18, wherein the one ormore reagents in the fluid comprises at least one substance selectedfrom the group consisting of acids, acid-generating compounds, bases,base-generating compounds, biocides, surfactants, scale inhibitors,corrosion inhibitors, gelling agents, crosslinking agents, anti-sludgingagents, foaming agents, defoaming agents, antifoam agents, emulsifyingagents, de-emulsifying agents, iron control agents, particulatediverters, salts, fluid loss control additives, gases, catalysts, claycontrol agents, chelating agents, corrosion inhibitors, dispersants,flocculants, scavengers, lubricants, breakers, delayed release breakers,friction reducers, bridging agents, viscosifiers, weighting agents,solubilizers, rheology control agents, viscosity modifiers, pH controlagents, hydrate inhibitors, relative permeability modifiers, divertingagents, consolidating agents, fibrous materials, bactericides, tracers,probes, nanoparticles, tetrakis hydroxymethyl phosphonium sulfate(THPS), glutaraldehyde, benzalkonium chloride, algal/fungal/bacterialdeposits, imidazoline derivatives, quaternary ammonium salts, alkalinezinc carbonate, amines, any derivatives thereof, and any combinationsthereof.
 21. The method of claim 12, wherein the characteristic of thechemical reaction comprises a concentration of a product resulting fromthe chemical reaction.
 22. The method of claim 12, wherein thecharacteristic of the chemical reaction comprises a characteristicselected from the group consisting of a chemical composition, animpurity content, a pH level, a temperature, a viscosity, a density, anionic strength, a total dissolved solids measurement, a salt contentmeasurement, a porosity, an opacity measurement, a bacteria content, andany combinations thereof.